Chapter 64

Third Person POV, after the Meeting

Marquis Raeven’s political ability was second to none among the Six Great Nobles, so one would expect that the office where he showed his abilities would be an impressive one. Yet, this was not the case. Many would be surprised if they knew the exact number of decisions which affected the future of the Kingdom that had been drafted in such a humble, cramped place.

The room’s interior was filled with bookshelves, and the books and labelled scrolls were neatly arranged in a way that hinted at their owner’s personality. However, it was not because of these things that the room was so small, although they were part of the reason for it.

The greatest reason could not be seen by the naked eye.

Raeven’s manor home was built of bricks coated in stucco. This was customary when it came to the construction of a noble home, and Raeven’s office was no exception. However, the interior of those walls were coated with copper sheets that enveloped the entire room. This was done to interfere with spells used to eavesdrop, observe or detect his location. The windowless room felt a little claustrophobic, but from a cost-effectiveness point of view, it was practical and had to be endured.

Upon returning from Valencia Palace, Raeven had made a beeline for this office, which was proofed against magic. He crossed to the other side of his sturdy working desk before flopping down onto his chair, in a way that suggested that he had completely run out of energy.

Of course, he was not able to notice the shadow crawling on the corner of the room, listening to his every word and transferring them directly into the radio in the office of the 5 Elder Stars.

Then, he covered his face with his hands. Anyone who saw him would not think of a great noble who commanded unrivaled power and privilege in the Kingdom, only a middle-aged man who had been worn down by the weight of stress and responsibility.

He brought up the limp strands of his blonde hair in his fingers, combing them back up and leaning back in his seat as his face twisted. Perhaps it was because he was relaxed now, but the stress accumulated during the court session turned to anger, which filled his heart. Within moments, it had surpassed his ability to contain and exploded into the air with a mighty shout.

Raeven: Idiots, each and every one of them!

Nobody understood what was going on. No, if someone had understood and was taking advantage of the situation, they would be masterful schemers indeed.

Right now, the Kingdom was in great peril.

The war with the Empire for the last couple years, and especially last year’s had led to severe problems such as food shortages, and then there were other issues that were starting to precipitate. Next, the rebellion of the people had driven the people’s trust in the Kingdom to zero. The only reason why no cracks in the Kingdom had appeared so far was because the nobles honestly believed “we just need to hold on a bit longer until the other faction collapses first”.

The Arcanian Empire had professional soldiers, magical creatures of legend which could wipe all of us out. In addition to that, they had the Legions which the Baharuth Empire which were not dissolved, and instead transformed, retrained and given better gear to fight for the new Empire. The result of that was villages everywhere running short of manpower for a period of time.

The Empire had a firm grasp of the Kingdom’s practice of conscription, and thus they declared war during the harvest season.

During the busiest season of a farming village, the impact of their adult males ― the most important source of labor ― going missing for one month could not be overstated. Of course, the idea of simply not conscripting as many people had come to mind, but in the face of the Empire’s military, who were far better trained and armed, the Kingdom could not muster any resistance without the weight of numbers on their side.

There had been one occasion when a lack of conscripts had resulted in tremendous casualties for the Kingdom. Fortunately, the counterattack led by Gazef had succeeded, killing two of the original Four Knights and putting an end to the war, since both sides had won and lost. However, the truth was that the Kingdom had been weakened, and in light of the many citizens lost, the Kingdom had come out on the losing side of the equation. Then right after that war, the surrounding nations, including the mentioned Baharuth Empire are all absorbed into the mysterious Arcanian Empire which restored peace and began to prosper in an unseen amount of time. Now they have declared war against the Kingdom.

And even during these circumstances…

Raeven: That traitorous filth! This foolish power struggle! Those idiots, fighting over a stupid seat!

Marquis Brumerush, one of the Six Great Nobles, had betrayed the Kingdom by selling its information to the Baharuth Empire, of which no doubt made it’s way into the new Empire’s ears. The nobles had split into two factions and were struggling for dominance. Both princes were eying the succession like dogs feuding over a bone.

Marquis Raeven pounded on his desk repeatedly, venting his anger.

Raeven: The King’s no better either! He’s no fool and he’s not drunk on power, but he isn’t thinking at all! If he doesn’t give up his seat soon, it’ll only make the succession crisis worse! Princess Renner gave him a good opportunity by making things favorable for the Royal faction, so he should hurry up and transfer power to the next generation already!

People had rallied behind the members of the Royal faction during the rebellion. Because of that, the Royal faction’s influence had increased greatly, and they should have been able to put Prince Zanack on the throne if they had advocated it then and there. However―

Raeven: Things ended up like this because he pitied his first son. It’s not like I don’t understand his feelings, but nobody’s thinking about what’s important! Nobody at all!

Strictly speaking, this was not true.Unfortunately most of them were in Raeven’s camp. He should not have concentrated them all under his wing. Instead, he should have carefully disseminated them throughout the other factions and had them influence the leaders from the inside. However, his irritation was not aimed at himself for not doing this earlier, but at the members of the other factions, whose brainlessness was giving him headaches.

Raeven: Idiots, each and every one of them!

Raeven shouted in frustration as he thought of these Goblin-brained simpletons who could only see the bait in front of them.

Raeven: ―Even so, what should I do? Think, Raeven, think!

Raeven’s frustration grew as his breathing calmed. He had to think of how to keep the Kingdom going, even in the face of the dangers ahead.

Raeven: This war is impossible! How are we to fight against something like that?! If each of their subordinates could do what happened in Arwintar…and what of the rulers themselves?! That’s already easily over 80,000 casualties! And that is assuming that they can only use that move once…!

Raeven spoke the words on his mind out loud while he organized his thoughts. Honestly, he wanted to share this matter with someone and discuss it with them. That was why Raeven supported Prince Zanack.

The Second Prince was his only ally ―though there was now another person, Princess Renner― amongst the royals. Both of them understood the danger which the Kingdom faced, and he considered her a comrade in arms when it came to planning for the future.

If only he could ascend to the throne, it would take a weight off his right shoulder.

Raeven: …I don’t think he was joking when he promised to make me the Prime Minister. Though I can’t relieve the burden on my left shoulder, at the very least it would improve the Kingdom’s condition.

Raeven’s current objective was to place Prince Zanack on the throne. If he failed in that, the country would take another step toward ruin.

Raeven: With Princess Renner’s help, my job would be easier, at least.

Raeven sighed heavily as he gave voice to his thoughts and future plans. Even he had days when he wanted to just put everything down and walk away.

Sometimes, the excessive worrying had even made him contemplate destroying the Kingdom with his own hands, although that particular thought had only come up once or twice.

It was like he was trying to build a sandcastle, surrounded by little brats trying to kick it down. At times, he felt like destroying the sandcastle himself, just to deny them the satisfaction. Still, he had a reason for ignoring those destructive impulses and carrying on like he did.

There was a knocking on the door. The sound seemed to come from a lower position than usual. For a moment, Raeven displayed an expression that was unlike his normal self. Perhaps you could say his expression melted; his eyebrows were drooping, and even the corner of his mouth was uncharacteristically relaxed.

Raeven: Oh, that’s not good. I can’t make a face like this.

Raeven lightly smacked his face, since his willpower was insufficient to restore the proper dignity to it. After tidying up his wild hair, he turned to the metal door and spoke so the person on the other side could hear. Though his voice was loud, it contained a surprising gentleness that indicated that he was not angry.

Raeven: Come in.

The speed with which the heavy door opened indicated how much the other party had been looking forward to it. On the other side of the door was a boy.

The boy’s innocent, adorable face was colored with a slight blush on the pale skin of his cheeks. He looked to be around five years old, and he padded across the floor, stopping at Raeven’s knee.

Wife: Now now, you know you shouldn’t be running indoors, it’s hardly refined.

A female voice followed the boy over to Raeven. She was a woman with a pretty face that was shadowed by gloominess. She did not seem like a happy woman. Her clothes were of exquisite make, but their colors were muted.

The woman bowed primly to Raeven, and then she smiled. With a hint of embarrassment, Raeven returned the smile. When had his wife started smiling? Suddenly, the memories of those days came unbidden to Marquis Raeven.

When Marquis Raeven had been a younger man, his heart brimmed with the ambition and drive that was the hallmark of youth. And the target of his ambition was the throne. Aspiring to the throne was a treasonous dream.

The young Marquis Raeven, filled with confidence in his abilities, probably felt that he had no other goal that was worthy of being his lifelong objective. Toward that end, he had worked quietly, expanded his influence, accumulated wealth, expanded his connections, crushed his political enemies―

Taking a wife was nothing more than a part of his plan. As long as he could sell off the position of marchioness at a high price, he did not care what kind of woman he ended up with. As it turned out she was a beautiful, yet gloomy woman, but Raeven did not mind. After all, the important thing was the connections he made with his wife’s family.

Their home life was ordinary. No, that was just how Raeven felt it was. He cared for the woman he married as a tool, but there was no love between them. As fate would have it, it was a tiny thing indeed that changed Raeven.

He turned his eyes to the boy in front of him. The first thing he thought when he learned he had a son was that he had another tool to use. However, as the newborn boy clutched his finger with his tiny hands, something broke inside Marquis Raeven.

This was his soft, squishy son, who seemed as much a monkey as a human being. He certainly did not think that he was adorable. Yet, when he felt the warmth that radiated from his finger, everything else suddenly seemed silly.

The throne felt like garbage to him. The man driven by ambition had passed away at some point. Then, when Raeven smiled in thanks to his wife that had just given birth to his son, he vividly remembered the expression on her face. It was a funny one, even if he would never say that out loud. He remembered that it seemed to ask, “Who is this person?”

Of course, his wife had thought that this was just a temporary change caused by learning that he had an heir. However, Raeven continued changing after this, and it made his wife wonder if there was something wrong with him.

In the end, when his wife considered her husband before and after his change, she came to the conclusion that she preferred the new Raeven, and her attitude shifted as well. The two of them were, at long last, a normal married couple.

Raeven reached down and lifted up his son, who was trying to scale his kneecap. The boy gurgled in delight as he was placed on Raeven’s thigh. He could feel the heat of his body through his clothes, and the familiar weight felt comfortable. A warm, steady satisfaction filled his chest.

Now, Raeven had only one objective.

“I want to leave a well-kept domain to my son.” It was a goal that any noble father would have. Raeven looked warmly to the boy on his leg, and spoke to him.

Raeven: What’s the matter-chu? Rii-tan? Chuchu~

Only two people in the world would ever see a Great Noble puckering his lips and going “~chu”.

One of them, the boy, gurgled in delight.

Wife: …Darling, babytalking him will spoil his grammar.

Raeven: Hmph! Nonsense, that’s nothing more than a baseless rumor.

That said, Raeven reflected that it would be bad if he raised his son poorly. Since he was his son, that meant that he must have some measure of talent. Or rather, it was fine even if he was not talented, but as his parents, they had an obligation to discover or cultivate their child’s abilities. As such, it would be bad if they negatively influenced him. Even so, he refused to give up the loving nicknames for him. Love was the best teacher, after all.

Wife: Isn’t that right, Rii-tan? What’s the matter? Do you want to tell Papa something?

Raeven ignored his wife’s perturbed expression and asked again.

Boy: Ehehehe, well~

He looked like he wanted to share a secret of some sort, judging from the way he covered his mouth with his little hands. As he saw that movement, Raeven’s heart melted, the corners of his eyes drooped, and he made a face one would never expect of the man who had been referred to as a snake.

Raeven: Well, what is it? Can you tell Papa~n? Uwah~ what is it?

Boy: Tonight’s dinner~

Raeven: Mm, mm!

Boy: It’s Papa’s favorite!

Raeven: Uwah! Papa~n will be very happy! What’s for dinner tonight?

Wife: It’s Gabra fish à la meuniere.

Raeven: Is that so― What’s wrong!? Rii-tan?

Raeven saw the unhappy expression on his son’s face and frantically followed up with a question.

Boy: I wanted to say it!

Lightning seemed to flash behind Raeven’s back.

Raeven: Is that ~chu er, I mean, is that true? Well, then it’s Papa~n’s fault. Please forgive me. Rii-tan, do you want to tell me anything?

As Raeven looked at her with furrowed brows, his wife, not knowing what to do, covered her face.

Raeven: Rii-tan, why don’t you tell Papa~n?

With a hmph of annoyance, the boy jerked his head aside. Raeven looked like he had just experienced a tremendous shock, so despondent that he wanted to die.

Raeven: I’m really sorry, Rii-tan, Papa~n is a moron and forgot everything~ Therefore, could you tell me?

His son glanced at him from the corner of his eye. It would seem he was almost there.

Raeven: Not telling Papa~n? Papa~n’s going to cry~

Boy: That ― well, it’s Papa’s favorite fish~

Raeven: Really now! Papa is so happy to hear that!

Raeven could not help kissing his son’s pink cheeks over and over. It tickled, and so the boy laughed innocently.

Raeven: All right, then let’s go have dinner!

Wife: ―-I don’t think it’s ready yet.

Raeven: ―Really now.

It felt like a basin of cold water had been dumped over his head, and an annoyed expression spread over Raeven’s face. It would have been an easy matter to order the chefs to hurry up, but they still needed to follow the appropriate steps to do their work, and those steps had to be executed with specific timing. Thus, if he selfishly disrupted their routine, the food would not be as good as it could be. This was why Raeven did not give those orders, even if he was not happy about the wait. It was also because he wanted his son to have the best meal possible.

Wife: All right, your father is in the middle of work. Let’s go.

Boy: Kay~

Raeven could not hide his loneliness he felt as he heard his son’s lively reply.

Raeven: Ahem! Wait, actually, I’m done with work.

Boy: Really?

Raeven: Umu. I really am done with work.

Wife: …Is that so? Are you just planning to put it off until tomorrow?

Raeven: …

Even if his wife was rolling her eyes at him, Raeven would not let his son down from his knee. He clutched the boy tightly, and sighed as he felt the heat from his son’s hot body flow into him.

Raeven: …Well, I was already at a dead end anyway, not like I could finish it in a day.

This was not an excuse. The fact was that he did not have anything urgent to take care of. His wife seemed to realize this and nodded several times.

Wife: I understand, but still… it seems really troublesome.

Raeven: That’s what I said. I don’t need more arms or legs to do my work, just good heads.

Wife: How about my brother?

Raeven: He’s talented, but given that running your family’s estate is taxing enough as it is, I don’t think I could throw more work at him. Do you know anyone else who can be trusted?

In the end, all that he could do was to look among the commoners. If this was a place like the Empire, where there was a national system of education that trained people up for public service, it would have been fine, but in the Kingdom, looking for hidden talents was like finding a needle in a haystack. All he could do was listen to rumors of talented people and recruit them.

As he thought of how much time and effort this would need, Raeven’s heart sank. At this moment, his son had a good idea and spoke up.

Boy: Papa~n, I want to help you to work too~

Raeven: Uwah~ Rii-tan, thank you very much! I love ~chu most of all!

Raeven did not stop kissing his son as he continued his baby talk. This was without doubt the happiest moment of his life. He could forget the stress of his daily life and achieve a small measure of peace.

Even if I have to sacrifice myself, I will protect all of this, Raeven vowed in his heart.

Just as he vowed and the others left the room with Raeven ready to follow, a dark oval portal opened in his office. From there, a typical butler…but this one has a bomb hair, stepped out.

Sengoku: Hello Marquis Raeven. I am Sengoku, personal butler of the Twin Monarch of the Arcanian Empire. May I suggest you a deal?